A Day at the Booksmugglers

One of my favorite book reviewing blogs is The Booksmugglers, two women who review a vast amount of fantasy, horror, romance, women’s fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, YA, and graphic novels. (Yes, one of the reasons I like them so much is because their taste is so varied.) They write thoughtful, detailed, fascinating reviews and my booklist has grown by a factor of five since I added them to my daily blogroll.

“WOW. I had a vague idea of what to expect from Ms. Peterfreund having read her excellent Secret Society Girl – but Rampant completely blew me out of the water. Or knocked me off my horse. Or unicorn. Whatever analogy, the important thing is that Rampant surpassed all of my expectations. This is a remarkably imaginative, painstakingly researched, and impeccably written novel. Not only is the core concept fantastic with its delineations of unicorn species and their unique history and place in our own cultural mythology, but the explication of characters – especially the gender roles of women, of virginity and power – is breathtaking.

“Yeah, you could say I loved Rampant from its hilarious start to its blood-drenched finale.”

And then there’s also:

“As a coming of age story, Rampant is a great book indeed. And one where the teenage girl does not depend on the teenage boy for a lifetime of happiness – there is a romantic element to the book and Astrid does draw strength from being with him but not in an obsessive manner. These kids talk, assess and think about their situation in a very balanced way and still they have their hormones driving them crazy. It is a great balance, if you ask me.”

Later today, I’ll be stopping by the Booksmugglers to talk about my inspirations and influences for Rampant. And you totally don’t want to miss out on that. (Hint: tombs, ruins, and some really scary monasteries.)